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• log
  log

  noun

  a portion or length of the trunk or of a large limb of a felled tree.
• log-
  log-

  variant of logo- before a vowel.
• -log
  -log

  variant of -logue.
• log.
  log.

  abbreviation

  logic.

log

¹ American  

[lawg, log] / lɔg, lɒg /

noun

1. a portion or length of the trunk or of a large limb of a felled tree.

   Put another log on the fire.

   We dragged logs from the forest and lashed them together to make a raft.

2. something resembling a log, as in shape or weight.

   Mix the softened butter and sage together, then put it on wax paper and roll it into a log.

3. any of various records, made in rough or finished form, concerning a trip made by a ship or aircraft and dealing with particulars of navigation, weather, engine performance, discipline, and other pertinent details; logbook.

4. Nautical. any of various devices for determining the speed of a ship, such as a chip log or patent log.

5. Movies. an account describing or denoting each shot as it is taken, written down during production and referred to in editing the film.

6. a record of a machine's operation, maintenance, etc..

   The log shows the date of each inspection of the roller coaster, any problems noticed, and all repairs made.

   If using the photocopier for personal documents, please write your initials and the number of pages in the log.

7. Also called well log.  a record kept during the drilling of a well, especially of the geological formations penetrated.

8. Computers. any of various chronological records made concerning the use of a computer system, the changes made to data, etc.

9. Radio and Television. a written account of everything transmitted by a station or network.

10. Also called log of wood.  Australian Slang. a lazy, dull-witted person; fool.

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verb (used with object)

• logs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• logged,
  past participle,  past
• logging
  present participle

1. to cut (trees) into logs.

   The villagers logged pine trees for fuel.

2. to cut down the trees or timber on (land).

   We logged the entire area in a week.

3. to enter in a logbook or record; keep a record of.

   While at camp I logged each day’s events in a journal.

4. to make (a certain speed), as a ship or airplane.

   We are logging 18 knots.

5. to travel for (a certain distance or a certain amount of time), according to a record kept of one or more trips.

   We logged 30 miles the first day.

6. to amass (a certain amount of time, number of events, or the like) working in a particular field or engaging in a particular type of activity.

   She has logged 26 years of teaching experience at the college level.

   He logged 17 shows as a model before changing careers.

verb (used without object)

• logs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• logged,
  past participle,  past
• logging
  present participle

1. to cut down trees and remove them from the forest for timber.

   He logs for a living.

   The company has been logging in Oregon for decades.

verb phrase

1. log in

   1. Digital Technology. Also log on, sign on. to enter identifying data, such as a username or password, into a database, mobile device, or computer, especially a multiuser computer or a remote or networked system, so as to access and use it.

      Log in to start your work session. Log in to your account to pay your bill online.

   2. to enter or include any item of information or data in a record, account, etc..

      Once the day’s stats have been logged in, let the captain see the logbook.

2. log off / out to terminate a session.

log ² American  

[lawg, log] / lɔg, lɒg /

noun

1. Mathematics. logarithm.

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log- ³ American  

1. variant of logo- before a vowel.

   logarithm.

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-log ⁴ American  

1. variant of -logue.

   analog.

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log. ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. logic.

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log ¹ British  

/ lɒɡ /

noun

1. short for logarithm

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-log ² British  

combining form

1. a US variant of -logue

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log ³ British  

/ lɒɡ /

noun

1. 1. a section of the trunk or a main branch of a tree, when stripped of branches

   2. (modifier) constructed out of logs

      a log cabin

2. 1. a detailed record of a voyage of a ship or aircraft

   2. a record of the hours flown by pilots and aircrews

   3. a book in which these records are made; logbook

3. a written record of information about transmissions kept by radio stations, amateur radio operators, etc

4. 1. a device consisting of a float with an attached line, formerly used to measure the speed of a ship See also chip log

   2. to determine a ship's speed with such a device

5. a claim for better pay and conditions presented by a trade union to an employer

6. without stirring or being disturbed (in the phrase sleep like a log )

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verb

1. (tr) to fell the trees of (a forest, area, etc) for timber

2. (tr) to saw logs from (trees)

3. (intr) to work at the felling of timber

4. (tr) to enter (a distance, event, etc) in a logbook or log

5. (tr) to record the punishment received by (a sailor) in a logbook

6. (tr) to travel (a specified distance or time) or move at (a specified speed)

log Scientific  

/ lôg /

1. A logarithm.

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log Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing log

• easy as pie (rolling off a log)
• like a bump on a log
• sleep like a log

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Usage

What does -log mean? The combining form -log is used like a suffix meaning “discourse,” either spoken or written. Discourse means "communication of thought by words." The form -log is often used in everyday and technical terms. The form -log comes from Greek -logos, meaning “word” or "discourse." To learn more about logos, you can read our entry on the English word logos here. What are variants of -log?In British English, -log is spelled with a terminal -ue, becoming -logue, as in analogue. Additional related forms include -logic and -logy. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article on all three forms.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• loggish
  adjective
• unlogged
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• logging
  present
• logged
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• log
  simple
• logs
  simple
• have logged
  perfect
• has logged
  perfect
• am logging
  progressive
• are logging
  progressive
• is logging
  progressive
• have been logging
  perfect progressive
• has been logging
  perfect progressive

Past

• logged
  simple
• had logged
  perfect
• was logging
  progressive
• were logging
  progressive
• had been logging
  perfect progressive

Future

• will log
  simple
• will have logged
  perfect
• will be logging
  progressive
• will have been logging
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of log

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English logge, variant of lugge “pole, limb of tree”; compare obsolete logget “pole”; see lugsail

Explanation

A log is the trunk of a tree minus the branches: logging is cutting down trees. A log is also a written record of something, and logging is keeping such a record. The first type of log is a tree that's been cut down with the branches stripped. Think of a log cabin: it's made up of logs. Logging is when trees are cut down for lumber. The other type of log is some type of written record or list of messages. A ship captain keeps a log of notes on the ship's status and progress. When you make such a record, you're logging. Logging can be written or orally recorded.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

log log- log. logs logged logging

At the heart of the lush spread, which offers jaw-dropping mountain views, is a five-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom log home with enormous living spaces.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

Nepenthe, known for its legendary clifftop views, has been in operation since 1949 and features a log cabin that is more than a century old.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

Garmin built in a single side button to trigger manual tracking—but if the band misses a session, you can’t log it retroactively as you can on rival devices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

Gilligan, a judge on popular ITV series The Masked Singer, recalled spending days on the beach and riding the log flume at the fun park as well playing the penny arcade machines.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

“They stop in the roads and block log trucks. They must be stopped.”

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

He jerked open a log- and-barbed-wire gate that led into a pasture and motioned for me to walk through.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

The only buildings here were tiny log- and-mortar cabins, replicas of the army’s shelters.

From "Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli

Lancelot kicked the log- thoughtfully, one arm on the mantelpiece, looking into the ashy glow.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

I thought so when I saw the loading-crew taking it easy at the log- landing.

From The Valley of the Giants by Peter B. (Peter Bernard) Kyne

Besides these edifices, Dr. Dunlop and Mr. Prior had each a good house, and there was the Priory, a large log- building, afterwards occupied by the superintendent.

From Twenty-Seven Years in Canada West The Experience of an Early Settler (Volume I) by Samuel Strickland

"You fill in the log. Clearly, they hadn't done it."

From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2025

"So the ninth time I went under and came up and grabbed a log. And that's what kept me going."

From Reuters ● Jan. 21, 2022

“I mean, that log. You know, his, whatever…we don’t even know if he’s a real lumberman or whether he’s just a guy. So, I’ll do a little digging on that and get back to you.’

From Seattle Times ● May 24, 2017

They were making a noise that sounded like a rusty saw in a hickory log.*

From Time Magazine Archive

“You standing there drooling, that’s what! They about to hand over what we came for, and you like a frog on a log. And Gum Baby hates frogs. Are you even listening?”

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia

Senior investigators maintain such logs during investigations to record why they took each step, and they can be disclosed for defence lawyers to scrutinise during court cases, the FT said.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

"It solves a lot of problems, even if it is just a simple idea like sticking a few logs into a stream," Gregory Kumar added.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

The S&P 500 logs its worst July performance since 2014.

From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026

After checking the logs of over 141,000 tests, the company discovered that Claude had indeed found its way onto the internet several times.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

Its thick and long legs were as large as pine logs.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

The station in Sheung Shui, in the city's north, recorded 39.8C, the highest temperature logged in Hong Kong since automatic weather stations were introduced in the 1980s, the Observatory said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026

After producers logged windfall profits thanks to the war in Iran, the president called on them to cut fuel prices for consumers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

Between April and June, the greater L.A. area logged 4,711 shoot days, down nearly 13% from the same period a year earlier, according to FilmLA’s second-quarter data.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

The Radis Community Care worker logged the meal, from the client's freezer, as a "lamb dinner", before a second carer saw the packaging and realised the mistake, the report said.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

I was now logged in as a technician, but my access to the intranet was still pretty limited.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Industrial logging from 1912 to 1991 removed much of the original primary forest.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026

But in the Gold Rush era it was taken away and, later, used by the logging industry, reshaping the landscape.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

Elevance Health ELV 0.38%increase; up pointing triangle raised its earnings outlook after logging a higher benefit-expense ratio and sales number in the second quarter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

It would be an understatement to say that the site’s library of films available for logging, rating and reviewing is extensive.

From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026

“Once I come to, some free folks up in the logging town was tending to me. A man and his wife, mighty fine folk. Took good care of me and didn’t want nothing in return.”

From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis

Related Words

• chunk
• piece
• timber
• wood